World No. 2 Rafael Nadal is aiming to win his first-ever title at the Rolex Paris Masters. Nadal will square off against fellow countryman, Feliciano Lopez, in his opening round match. The Roland Garros champion is just a win away from reaching the exclusive milestone of 1,000 wins on the ATP Tour.

Recently, during an interview, Roger Federer‘s former coach Paul Annacone contended that if Nadal faces Borna Coric in the third round, then the latter would be the favorite. Annacone presented an argument that Coric has equal-standing in his rivalry against Nadal and has defeated the Spaniard at an indoor event in Basel back in 2014.

“I think Lopez is a dangerous match-up but let’s not forget that Borna Coric is two and two with Rafa. And one of those wins is indoors at Basel. So if Coric and Nadal play, I’m leaning Coric. I’m calling it now, guys.” Annacone said.

Indoor conditions hurt Rafael Nadal

Considering Nadal’s poor record at indoor events, he has only reached the final once at Paris Bercy. Notably, the 20-time Grand Slam titlist mostly arrives exhausted at the season end tournaments and indoor conditions also don’t favor Nadal’s topspin-heavy game.

Hence, Annacone believes that Nadal relies on the ball bouncing high off the court, which doesn’t work on indoor hardcourt conditions. The last time Nadal reached the final at Paris Masters was in 2007, when he lost brutally to David Nalbandian 4-6, 0-6.

“Its all about the RPMs on the forehand. Generally, that forehand is not bouncing around like a super-ball indoors, and Rafa likes that. When he doesn’t have the ability to do that you can get first-strike in and back him a little bit and make him little bit more uncomfortable,” Annacone asserted.

However, the absence of Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem further boosts Nadal’s chances. If the Spaniard wins his maiden title at Paris Bercy, he will equal Djokovic’s record of winning 36 ATP Masters 1000 titles.

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In 2019, Nadal made it to the semifinals at Paris Masters but unfortunately had to withdraw due to an abdominal injury. But because of the truncated 2020 season, the 34-year-old should be fully fit this time around.